First Comes The Rain
by Writing4YourLove
Summary: Rainbow Dash is finally accepted into the Wonderbolts, but it isn't long before she finds out that there are much bigger things to worry about than whether Spitfire and Soarin' think she's good enough to be part of the elite flying group. (Rated M because this is a darkfic.)
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first ever My Little Pony fanfiction. Yes, it will be gruesome. There will be murder and rape. I'm just writing this as something to work on while I'm trying to think of what I want to happen in my Hunger Games fan-fiction - Her Darkest Hour. Thank you.**

**Yes, it does start off happy and sweet. It's My Little Pony, after all. Just hang on a couple chapters and I swear that it'll get at least 20 percent cooler.**

**Disclaimer: I hate disclaimers. So, so much. But, you know what, apparently some people don't know that I'm not the creator, owner, or producer of MLP. I'm only putting my disclaimer on this chapter. Thank you. Goodbye.**

Rainbow Dash could barely stand still as Spitfire walked down the rows of Pegasus ponies. She's finally a Wonderbolt. She was so happy she thought she could even do a double – no, _triple _– rainboom. She was so excited that she could barely hear what Spitfire was telling the eight students who had made it into the elite group.

After just minutes, the others began moving towards a large cloud building. Rainbow hurries to catch up with the others. Even though she already misses her friends, she knows it'll all be worth it. As they enter a large room – the mess hall – Rainbow Dash can see plaques, medals, and pictures hanging on the wall. Some senior members of the Wonderbolts sit at tables, eating and talking about things that Rainbow assumes are awesome. Her heart is soaring, her wings aching to launch her into the light blue sky as she screams with joy. Instead, she holds it in. She has to look cool, otherwise, what would Spitfire think?

When Rainbow looks around, she realizes that she can't see the leader of the Wonderbolts. She guesses that Spitfire just had something else more important to do than show junior members around. She finally has everything she's ever wanted. There's not enough time for her to take everything in. It's all so perfect. It's everything she had ever imagined and more.

One of the other new members falls in step beside Rainbow, seemingly just as in awe of the open ceiling as Rainbow first was, the pegasus has a golden main and tail with a lavender coat. Rainbow recognizes her as a pony from Cloudsdale and flying school. "Cloud Kicker," Rainbow nods, "It's been a while." The pony had been assigned as Rainbow's roommate for their time in the junior dorm.

The lavender pony grins, "Much too long. It's wonderful to see that you've found a place here in the Wonderbolts. I know that someday, you'll be the best."

And Rainbow can picture the day when all of Equestria will accept her as the best flyer ever known. Spitfire will hang a medal around her neck as she announces that Rainbow Dash is the best flyer in all of Equestria. Then the crowd will roar, demanding to see the famous rainboom that only Dash can perform. And of course, she would pretend to be reluctant at first. But the cheering and urging would continue until she soared up into the air high before stopping, directing her gaze towards the ground and, with great flare, dive towards the waiting crowd, creating the rainboom just above their heads. The audience would cheer and shout her name. She would fly back up and do a couple extra tricks before landing gracefully beside Spitfire. "I have to be," Rainbow whispers to herself. She has to prove to herself that she can be the best, even if it takes more discipline and fewer naps. The loss of sleep would be worth becoming the co-captain – or even the captain – of the Wonderbolts.

Rainbow Dash was so excited, she couldn't even pay attention to what she was eating or what everypony else was talking about and when she finished, she went with Cloud Kicker to explore the Wonderbolt's training facility from an aerial perspective. She flew around the obstacle course a couple times with Cloud, rejoicing in the feeling of the cool, crisp air ruffling her cyan feathers.

It all felt so surreal to her. Even though she dreamt of this day for years and years, she still couldn't believe that this was truly happening. She's really a Wonderbolt. Without any kind of forethought, she quickened her pace, sweeping through the course with a precision and speed she hoped Spitfire would think was brilliant. Rainbow imagined racing the yellow Pegasus; following her closely through the cloud rings, gaining speed and passing her opponent in the storm tunnel and finishing ahead of Spitfire by a nose.

When she slowed down to let Cloud Kicker close the few meters between them, the lavender pony flew at a decent pace beside Dash. "I'm going to go in soon. You probably should too." The other pony suggests.

"We should," Rainbow admits, although she doesn't think she could sleep at all tonight. The excitement was simply too much. "You go on in and I'll be there soon. I want to get in a couple more laps before I go to bed. You know, have to keep my wings stretched out if I'm going to perform my best."

And with that, they said their goodnights and Cloud Kicker flew off towards the rooms for the junior Wonderbolts. Rainbow rested on a cloud for a while, watching the sun set as she thought of home and how sad Scootaloo had been, even though Rainbow promised she'd give the young filly flight lessons whenever she was able to. Pinkie Pie had been worried that Rainbow would forget her friends in favor of the other Wonderbolts, but how could Dash forget about any of them? They were like her family.

Her mind drifts to the subject of what Pegasus might be clearing the skies now that she couldn't. She hopes whoever it is, that they're doing a good job of it. After all, she wouldn't want her friends getting rained on when a rainstorm wasn't scheduled. Even if Rainbow knows she's been late before.

She rests her head on her hooves as her thoughts go to Tank – her precious pet tortoise. Rainbow wasn't allowed to bring him along because the junior dorms are too small to let every pony bring a pet. Of course, she knows that she had left Tank in the most capable hands. Fluttershy was sure to take perfect care of him. But even then, Dash can't help but wonder if he misses her. At least she'll be able to see him on weekends, as well as all her friends. She might not have signed a contract with the Wonderbolts if it meant never seeing her friends again.

Although Rainbow didn't want to admit it, she already felt a little homesick. But before she could dwell on that thought, she felt a shiver run up her spine. It felt almost like someone was watching her. Rainbow's heart started racing and before she could think, she was flying down and ran up the stairs to the room she was sharing with Cloud Kicker. The other pony is already asleep when Dash enters, leaving her to take the other bed in the room.

Dash falls asleep almost as soon as her head hits the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

After breakfast, Soarin leads the young pegasi out to the track. He announces that all of them are to arrive here every day – unless otherwise informed - stretch out and do a warm up lap around the track. After explaining it all and answering a few of the questions other pegasi had, he tells the small group that Spitfire will be out to determine what groups she would put them in.

Rainbow felt the same immense joy that she had the day before. It felt like her heart was going to burst right out of her chest. As soon as Soarin finished speaking, she stretched and took off on her warm-up lap. When she returned to the ground, she watched Spitfire as she spoke with Soarin about something.

Soon, she realized she had the feeling she was being watched. But when she turned to see who might be watching, no eyes seemed to be on her. Something still felt dangerously wrong. Rainbow brushed off the feeling, putting it down to nerves. After all, Spitfire was going to be watching her fly all day. What if she messed up?

First, Spitfire announced that she was going to take times. The pegasi would fly around the track in groups of four and she'd take down each time before the next group went. Rainbow watched the first group, which included Cloud Kicker, who all got good times – they ranged between approximately forty-five seconds and one minute. Dash was called with the next group. She wasn't pleased to see that one of the colts who teased her in flight school – she believes his name is Hoops - was in the lane beside her. "Hey there, Rainbow Crash," he taunts and Rainbow's magenta eyes narrow.

She refuses to acknowledge the light brown pony. She just settles into a ready position, wings unfurled as she waited for Spitfire's whistle. The loud, high-pitched noise shot through the air and Rainbow Dash took off, focusing on staying ahead of the stallion beside her. About halfway through the race, he turned sharply and hit her in the side, sending Rainbow into a spinout. Her eyes narrowed further as she flew harder, catching up and passing the other ponies until she crossed the finish line in first place at thirty five seconds. She won against Hoops by six seconds. She came to a difficult stop before landing beside Cloud Kicker.

"Are you okay?" Cloud asks softly as the next group is called up. Rainbow could tell that the lavender pony was referring to Hoops hitting her.

"I'm fine," Dash responds easily, although she's furious at the other pony for trying to sabotage her. "As a Wonderbolt, you've gotta be able to recover from stuff like that. It was probably an accident." But she knows he did it on purpose. She won't tell on him though. Rainbow didn't want to be complaining on her first day here. Dash wouldn't want Spitfire to think of her as a baby. She can take care of herself and play fair while doing it. She has no use for Hoops's cheating; she could win against him without cheating any day.

For the rest of the day, Spitfire took times on all kinds of things before beginning to drill relatively simple flight patterns that are commonly used as bases for the more complicated tricks and techniques the Wonderbolts use in their performances. Over the course of the exercises, Rainbow forgot temporarily all about Hoops and simply enjoyed her first day of practice.

After dinner, she went outside to enjoy the cool night air. The slight breeze ruffled her feathers as she took off into the night air, breathing it in. Rainbow was just about to attempt a rainboom when she heard Hoops's voice, "Why, if it isn't Rainbow Crash. I told you we'd find her out here." He teases and she can't help but wonder who he's talking to. She looks around and sees four silhouettes in the shape of ponies.

She rolls her eyes, "Hey there, Hoops, did you come out here so I can beat you again?" She smirks.

"Not quite," An edge in Hoops's voice makes her heart pound and adrenaline flow through her veins. But before she can fully register that he meant to do more than race her, they were surrounding her. She fought as they started to pull her down. One of the colts bit into one of her wings, holding it still and sending pain up her wing and through her body. Her other wing fluttered, searching for the strength to get her up further and she kicked out with her hooves, hitting one in the gut, sending him flying off her flank temporarily, but she only fell faster without the colt holding her up. Another pegasus shoves her to the ground, pushing her belly into the dewy grass as two hold down her wings, taking one each and the other her head and neck.

Rainbow doesn't know two of the stallions, but she doesn't really care at the moment. She tries to push up and yank her head from under the dark pony pressing her head into the ground. She can't move her mouth or her wings and one of the ponies holding down her wings, sits on her back, rendering her legs useless as the fourth – she believes this is Hoops – pushes her flanks down. "Not so tough now, are you, Rainbow Crash?" He growls and he pulls her tail around her side. She closes her eyes as terror envelopes her. All she can do is hope that somepony comes across the scene and puts an end to it.

Her ears are pressed against her head, giving away her fear and anger as he shoves himself into her. She grits her teeth, unwilling to give them the pleasure of as much as a sound of pain although that's pretty much all she felt at that moment. Dash is vaguely aware of them taunting her, but that had virtually no effect on her at the moment. She continued to struggle, fighting against the stronger, larger pegasi until she couldn't anymore and her breathing was heavy. Once in a while, she would still squirm and try to fight the ponies off of her, but to no avail.

They took turns raping her until she wished they would just kill her and get it over with. The taunting and teasing didn't end, and neither did her fight. She kept trying even after she knew it was hopeless. When the four other pegasi finally left, Rainbow just lies there, trying to process exactly what just happened.

At first, all she could think about was what she would do next. She couldn't tell anybody about this. What if they say her as inferior or not worthy to be a Wonderbolt? But she doesn't want to have to confront those colts again. And before she can think, she pukes until there's nothing left in her stomach.

She forces herself up and walks back to the dorms, only wanting to rest her aching body and to deal with all these troubles when the next day comes.


	3. Chapter 3

Rainbow woke up from a nightmare at three in the morning, far too early for her taste. She wouldn't need to be in the mess hall for another four hours. This left her virtually nothing to do and unable to get back to sleep, no matter how hard she tried. After an hour of trying to get back to sleep, she finally gave in and took a bath, brushed her mane and teeth, and pulled on her flight suit. Afterwards, she went down to the mess hall. She would read some more of the latest Daring Do book, but she was tired and could barely concentrate long enough to remember where the mess hall was.

As she sits at one of the tables in the dark room, she swears to herself that she wouldn't let Hoops or any of the others get to her. She can't stand the thought of them being the reason she gives up her dream. But a small part of her wanted to quit and go home. Things like this were completely unheard of back in Ponyville.

She got up from where she was seated and went to look at all the trophies and plaques on the wall, hoping it would take her mind off everything. It worked for a while. She read each engraving and pictured how it would be if she were the won to have won these for the Wonderbolts. Although so many emotions played in her mind, she knew she would win more than any pony in all of Equestria. Although she didn't know how long she had been staring into the shiny gold trophy case, she figured it must have been at least an hour spent deep in thought, because she heard the sharp staccato of hooves on the floor.

When she turned around, she saw Soarin hanging up a paper on the wall. Once he had finished, she stepped up to it, seeing now that it's the list for who will be on which team they'll be on. There are two, each with four junior pegasi and one senior who would act as a coach. Rainbow searched for her name and found she was on team one as a lead pony. But when she saw who else was in her team, her stomach twists. Hoops is one of the other ponies in her group. The other colt's name she doesn't recognize, though, and she hopes that the one other colt in her group isn't one of Hoops's partners in crime.

Soarin glanced at Rainbow Dash curiously as he secured the second paper, which listed group two, onto the wall. "What are you doing up so soon?" He asks, "Are you really that excited about finding out your group? Because it's likely to change before you become a senior."

At first, she doesn't know what to say. "I just couldn't sleep," She says before she could even consider what to tell the light blue stallion.

"I know how it feels to be new at the academy." He says, "It can be tough and you can get homesick, but it get a lot better once you start performing. You meet all kinds of wonderful new ponies. Like you," He says, "I remember when you saved that pie for me at the Grand Galloping Gala. Thanks for that, by the way."

"It was nothing," Rainbow says, surprised that the co-captain of the Wonderbolts remembered a pony like her.

"Best pie I've ever had in my life." He says, "And I've had a _lot _of pies." He smiles, "Next time we're in Ponyville, I'll need to get your friend to make another for me." Then he really looked at Rainbow. "You okay, kid?"

She nods, because what else was she going to do? "Just a little bit homesick," And maybe that really is it. Maybe all this just feels like a big deal because her friends aren't there and she wasn't home in her own bed in her own room. "I'll be fine."

"Good, Spitfire would have a fit if you quit on us." He says, and he says it like a joke, but there's an edge of seriousness in it. "I'd better get out of here before all the others wake up and trample me to see that sheet. I'll see you around." Then he left, leaving Dash on her own, if only for a couple of minutes before the others begin to file in.

As the other ponies checked the list, Rainbow could swear she felt somepony glaring at her, and she was nearly certain she knew who it was. She heard Hoops mutter some obscene things under his breath about how Rainbow shouldn't be the lead pony for the group and how he deserves that place. The stallion walking beside him seemed to agree. Rainbow figured that must be Starburst, the other colt in her group. When he spoke, she recognized his voice and it sent nervous chills up her spine. She tried to hide it, but her throat closed up and even the idea of eating made her want to vomit, even though she knows she needs energy for practice.

And practice was hard. She was still sore from where hooves had dug into her back the night before and she thinks that, when one of the colts bit her wing, he might have ripped out one of her feathers as well, setting her off balance. Thankfully, though, the others left her alone for the most part during that day, only teasing in their mindless way which she was learning to ignore - even if she did want to end their sorry lives right then and there.

The other mare in her group – Silverspeed, another pony from Ponyville – was nice enough, even if her and Dash weren't best friends right away. She followed directions well and was respectful of Dash's personal space. Rainbow didn't expect that she'd have any trouble with the mare, and for that, she was glad. That gave her one less pony to worry about.

By the end of practice, sweat made hairs in her mane stick to her neck and trailed down her forehead and back. After taking a bath, she went down to dinner with the others. Cloud Kicker seemed especially excited that day and talked nonstop, reminding Rainbow vaguely of Pinkie Pie. That only made her long to go home and hang out with her friends even more, but she ignored the feeling for the time being. Instead, she ate. After all, she hadn't eaten since they took a break for lunch and hard work makes her hungry. But, then again, Dash is always hungry.

She went to bed after dinner, trying to sleep for about an hour before giving up and reading her book until one in the morning, until she finally managed to get to sleep, only to be awoken early by nightmares.

The rest of the week passed much in this way. Each day she would become more tired and paying attention became much more difficult. She still tried her best though, and on that Friday, she swore to herself that she would come back the next Monday better than ever. Rainbow had convinced herself that seeing her friends would solve all her issues. She only needed to be with her friends again.


	4. Chapter 4

The day she took the train to Ponyville, she found that she was actually nervous to see her friends again. In fact, she found that she was afraid they would think lowly of her if they knew what had happened. She told herself that they don't have to find out. But what if they can see the difference in her? And what if they hate her for it?

She wonders for a second whether or not Twilight might be able to perform a memory spell that could make a pony forget about something. But she knew it probably wouldn't work. Either that, or Twilight would need to know what Rainbow wanted to forget so badly. So she merely puts the idea out of her mind as the train screeches to a stop and she steps off it into a mob of her friends.

"Dashie, you're home! We all missed you sooo much." Pinkie Pie grins, "But now you're back and we can have a party to celebrate your first week with the Wonderbolts. How was it? You have to tell us all about it!" She seems to say it all in one breath. Even though Pinkie's crazy antics sometimes made Dash a little nervous, she was still glad to be home.

And so Rainbow Dash spent the rest of the day bragging about the better parts of the week and carefully skipping over the worse. That is, until Applejack asked the question. "Is something bothering you that you're ain't telling us?" The pony asked in her usual southern drawl, concern edging into her voice.

Rainbow knows that keeping secrets from her friends is wrong and her friends must have notice her hesitation because they all began worrying. "You can tell us," Fluttershy says, but then adds onto it in her small, soft voice, "If you feel like it."

Rarity's elegance shows through in the extravagant outfit she's wearing - Overdressed as she always is, but still just as concerned for her friend as the other ponies were. "My dear, what_ever _is the matter?"

"You've got to tell us so we can help you," Twilight told her and Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you've gotta tell us. We're your best friends and we wanna help you even if you're only going to be here on weekends and stuff." Pinkie Pie says. "It's what friends are for. And what if we stopped being friends and your element didn't work anymore because then we weren't friends and the whole world went into terrible chaos because Discord came back and took over again, but we had no way to stop it because our elements were broken because you wouldn't tell us why you're acting all mopey-dopy even though we're your best friends. You don't want _that _to happen, do ya? Huh? _Do _ya?"

Rainbow shook her head, "Of course not, Pinkie, but nothing's going on." She says roughly, making her friend recoil.

Fluttershy quickly changes the subject. "Tank has been doing very well with the other animals, but he misses you. Maybe you should go say hi to him. You know, if you don't mind." She whispers, kicking up dust with one of her hooves as she stares at the ground.

The mention of her pet was a relief to Rainbow Dash. "Definitely, c'mon, Flutters, let's go." And she took off at full speed towards Fluttershy's cottage, leaving all her friends there to speculate as to what was wrong with their friend. Well, all her friends but Fluttershy, at least, who flew slowly after Rainbow. Eventually, Twilight told the others that they were probably making a big deal out of nothing and that Dash may just be stressed from training so much and from moving to a new place with new ponies.

Meanwhile, at Fluttershy's cottage, Rainbow Dash has been reunited with her pet tortoise and watches it fly around in its magical helicopter hat thing. "Thanks for watching him, Flutters, I really owe ya one." Rainbow tells her quiet friend.

"It was really no problem, he was a joy." She says softly, although it was really her usual volume. "I only wish you could be here longer. He really does miss you. I tried to tell him that you were just doing your job, but, well, he's still a little bit upset. Do you think that maybe . . . if it isn't a bother . . . you could ask Spitfire to let you take him with you? I know he'd really appreciate it."

"I'll ask her," Rainbow says and Fluttershy continues to look at her friend expectantly. Rainbow sighs, exasperated, "Fine, fine, cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." She recites, performing the motions to the infamous Pinkie Promise. "So, what's been going on in Ponyville?"

"Nothing much," Fluttershy says, "I think Scootaloo wants to see you though."

Rainbow smiles, "Where is she?" She asks; eager to see how her prodigy is doing.

Fluttershy hesitates, "She's probably with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders in their club-" Before she could say anything else, Rainbow had taken off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, a trail of rainbow following behind her. It was less than ten seconds before Rainbow crashed into the door of the Cutie Mark Crusader's clubhouse and even less time before she was tackles by the small, orange filly she had come to see.

"Hey there, squirt," Rainbow laughs as she pulls herself up from the floor. "How're ya doing?"

Scootaloo can't seem to stop bouncing. "I finally flew a little. See, look, check it out." She flaps her wings as quickly as she can. They've grown a little bit over the past couple months and they were almost big enough to support her in the air now. The small filly hovers in the air a couple seconds before landing pack onto the ground, chest puffed out in pride. "See? Someday, I'll be in the Wonderbolts, too."

Rainbow musses up the filly's mane. "Well, of course you are. After all, I _am _teaching you." She looks around the clubhouse, examining the maps and markers strewn about the room. "What are you three doing to try and earn your cutie marks today?"

Apple Bloom smiles, "We figured we'd try exploring in the Everfree forest. But now it's just me and Scootaloo. Sweetie Bell got her cutie mark a couple days ago at school when we were in music class." Although Rainbow knows the little filly is happy for her friend, she can hear jealousy in her voice. "But she's still one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. We were just waiting for her to get started."

"That's great. I'll leave you all to your Crusading for now. I've got to go. It think Pinkie's got a party set up for me. I'll see you tomorrow, squirt." She calls over her shoulder as she soars off into the sky.

Scootaloo grins at her friend, "Isn't she so _awesome!"_


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Rainbow wakes up well-rested for the first time in a week. Instead of sleeping in, as she would do on most any morning such as this one, she decided to bring the book she had borrowed from Twilight to the library. The flight there was quick and it took less than a minute – Ponyville _is _a pretty small town, after all – and when she got there, the purple unicorn was reading a green-covered book.

"Hey, Twi," Rainbow called across the expanse of the library to get her friend's attention. "I came to return the book. . ."

Twilight kept reading for a couple seconds before leaving her own book and approaching Rainbow. "Did you like it?" She asks, levitating the book away from Rainbow and to its proper place among her many shelves of books.

Dash nods, "Yeah, it was great." But, although she really did mean it, her voice sounded flat even to her own ears.

Unsurprisingly, Twilight notices. "If you don't like it you can tell me." She says, "There are plenty of books here. I'm sure we could find one you like."

"No, Twi, it's not the book. I like it. I really do." Dash says, "I've just been . . . busy, I guess, and I'm a little tired." It wasn't a complete lie. She was finding out quickly that hiding something from her best friends is more difficult than she expected. For a moment, she considers telling Twilight. She's nearly certain that her friend would know what to do. But she pushes the thought away. Twilight can't know.

"A couple days ago, Pinkie had one of her Pinkie Sense predictions." Twilight tells her, "She said it was a super doozie - even doozie-er than the last doozie. As far as we know, it hasn't been fulfilled. But that can't be right. Her predictions nearly always come true within a couple hours. We thought that maybe it had something to do with you." She pauses, "Did you see anything bad happen Tuesday night?"

Rainbow hesitates. She doesn't want to lie to her friend and anything besides a yes would pretty much be a blatant lie. She goes for a different approach, attempting to change the subject. "You know, this reminds me of the first time I heard about the Pinkie Sense." Rainbow starts, her voice shakes as she tries to lure her friend onto a different subject. "I didn't believe in it at first either, but when that-"

Twilight interrupts, "What's going on? Rainbow, Pinkie may be a little . . . strange sometimes, but she was right - if you start hiding things from us and distancing yourself from us, your element might not work anymore, and you know as well as anypony that could be a serious problem."

Although she knows Twilight is right, Rainbow shakes her head. "Twi . . . I can't tell you." Dash says, hanging her head.

The unicorn looks unsure. "What can't you tell me? I'm one of your best friends. You can trust any of us."

Dash's hoof scrapes the wood floor as she kicks at it. "I know, I know," She rolls her eyes; "I'm not stupid. But I can't. I wouldn't know how to tell you and . . . and you might think I'm . . . you know . . . lame."

"Is this about enjoying reading, again?" Twilight asks, confused. "Because I thought you learned that everypony likes to read sometimes." When Dash shakes her head, Twilight sighs, "Rainbow, please, nopony could ever think that you're lame. You're the best flyer in Equestria."

_But this isn't about flying. _Rainbow wants to say, but doesn't. "You wouldn't understand." Twilight starts to protest, but Rainbow stops her. "Nopony could ever understand." Maybe it_ was _an over-exaggeration, but to Rainbow, it didn't feel like one. To her, it all felt like she was one pony against the world. It feels to her as though if anypony found out about it, she'd be scorned - and maybe even kicked out of the Wonderbolts. This thought gives her new incentive to keep her secret just that – a secret.

Still, she can't help but think that maybe telling somepony about it might make her feel better. Automatically, she thinks of which pony would be the most likely to be able to keep her secret. Applejack was the first one that came to mind. Of course she was. It was no surprised to Rainbow, either. Applejack is, after all, the element of honesty and the most reliable pony she knows. Yes, she knows that Fluttershy is the element of kindness _and _has known her longest, but Rainbow doesn't want it to get all sappy or sentimental. Besides, she _knows _Applejack would know what to do no matter how much they've fought in the past. "I've got to go talk to somepony." Rainbow says, leaving the library and soaring over Ponyville to Sweet Apple Acres. She lands behind the orange pony. "Hey, AJ," Rainbow says, calling attention to herself. "I wanna talk to you for a second."

Applejack turns toward her friend. "Just make it quick. These apples ain't gonna harvest themselves."

_Great, now I'm getting in the way of her work. Great going, Dash, you should've _known _she would be busy with the big harvest. _Rainbow thinks to herself. "I'm, um, sorry to bother you." She says softly, starting to back away. "I know you're really busy."

It must've been something in Rainbow's voice that warned the earth pony of her friend's distress. "It's fine, Rainbow, now what's going on?" Rainbow rushes through the story as quickly as she can, barely stopping long enough to breathe. When she finishes, Applejack looks very lost. "I'm sorry, sugarcube, but I'm not so sure I caught all that. Why, I'd say you were talking almost as Pinkie times about ten."

Rainbow Dash shuts her eyes tight and forces herself to calm down. Applejack is her friend. She should trust her friend with anything. In fact, she _does _trust her friend with everything. "You remember those colts that were making fun of me at the Best Young Flyers competition?" When Applejack nods, Rainbow continues, "One of them got into the Wonderbolts too." She pauses, hesitates, and then goes on. "Twi told me about Pinkie's . . ." She trails off and Applejack nods again, encouraging her friend to continue. "I think it might be related to that. According to Twi it was Tuesday night."

"Yeah, that poor pony. Came into the library with the shakes and freaked all of us out to no end." Applejack says, paying close attention to her usually brave friend's nerves. "What was it warning against?"

"Well, I don't know if it actually was . . . but that same night I was" – she lowers her voice to a whisper, her ears pressed flat against the back of her head – "raped."

Applejack is silent for a moment. "Well, that's a doozie if I've ever heard one." She says, "Did you talk to that Spitfire pony?"

Rainbow Dash shakes her head vigorously. "What if she thinks I'm weak? Or what if she thinks I'm a snitch? I can't give her a reason to kick me off. Not after how hard I've worked to get here."

The farm pony shrugs, "Well, sugarcube, it seems to me that you came for advice and I'm willing to give it to you. I think you have three options. You could go along as you are now and risk this good-for-nothing colt hurting you again, you could talk to someone in charge and let them deal with it, or you could quit."

Of course the last one wasn't an option. And the first didn't sound very good to Rainbow either. "Thanks, AJ." She says softly, "I've got to go; I promised Scootaloo I'd give her another flying lesson."

"Be careful," Applejack calls after her.

Scootaloo's flight has improved greatly. In fact, in their lesson, Rainbow was able to lead her through a couple simple flying maneuvers. As she watches, Dash can't help but be proud of the filly. It was almost as if Scootaloo were a little sister to her. After all, with the filly's parents nowhere to be found, she needs somepony to encourage her.

As Scootaloo began a nosedive, Rainbow cheered for her, flying alongside the orange pony to make sure she can help if it's needed. The little pony pulled out maybe ten meters from the ground before landing. "I did it!" The excited filly shouts, rejoicing and Rainbow grinned.

"You sure did, squirt." She laughs, messing up the small pony's mane. "How about we celebrate at Sugarcube Corner? I'm sure Pinkie Pie would love some company." And with that, they trotted off to the local sweets shop where they each get a cupcake. Then, as Dash was sharing the story of the first time she actually flew, a familiar white pony walked in, determination set into his gaze. "Soarin?" Rainbow Dash asks in surprise.

The stallion in front to them nods, "You're needed back at Headquarters as soon as possible. Spitfire, Surprise, Rapidfire, and Fleetfoot have been captured." He announces.

Rainbow Dash's eyes go wide. "I'm sorry, squirt, but I have to go. I'll see you around. Be safe." And with that, she flies as quickly as she can to get her stuff together and goes with Soarin back to the Wonderbolts Headquarters. "What exactly happened, anyway?" Dash yells over the wind.

Soarin watches the ground below them as he speaks. "We don't know exactly, but we believe a couple of our new recruits are behind it. There have been rumors going around that Discord is coming back."

"Kidnapping doesn't seem like Discord's style." The blue pegasus says as the headquarters comes into view. Then she realizes she actually does have a good idea of what it is. "But I _do _know who has done this kind of thing before."


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry this took so long. It should be a little easier to put out chapters now. Thank you all for your patience and understanding. I'll have the next one out ASAP. If you want a story of mine with more consistent updates, you could check out my story called "My Little Pony: Friendship is One-Shots". I'm trying to post one a day so it should be pretty consistent. **

**Anyway, reviews are always appreciated and I hope you enjoy!**

When they get to the Headquarters, it seems oddly normal, and then she catches sighs of Spitfire, "Didn't you say she was . . .?"

Soarin nods, "She was. I saw it with my own eyes."

Rainbow is certain of it now. "Don't trust her." She mutters under her breath. "That's not the real Spitfire." When the white colt looks at Rainbow curiously, she nods tensely. "They're Changelings, I'm nearly certain of it. But I don't know why they'd be here." Then the yellow pony they were talking about spotted them and began to approach them, a wild and feral look in her eyes.

Just as Dash is about to go to fight her, Soarin stops her. "No, stop. You need to go warn the princess. I'll help the others fight the fakes off." When she starts to protest, he shakes his head. "You're our fastest flyer. We need to tell her as soon as possible. Now _go. _That's an order, Dash." His tone is harsher than she's ever heard it

She takes off in the direction of Canterlot. She flies as fast as she can. Rainbow twists her ears back so the wind isn't blowing into her them as she flies. When she gets to the Canterlot castle, she's panting beneath the hot sun. There are no guards so she has problem getting in. But she hears someone yelling. She runs to the throne room only to find Changelings everywhere. In the throne was a pony she recognizes immediately. Queen Chrysalis.

"We've searched the Academy, as you asked. We have captured the ones you said." One of the Changelings announces, bowing down to the Queen. "I have just sent troops to Ponyville to capture the Elements."

The Queen nods, "Very good," She says, pleased. "Before long, we'll rule all of Equestria."

Rainbow takes a moment to put together what's happening before she considers her possible courses of action. She could try to fight her, but they out-number her greatly. Or she could try to get to her friends before the Changelings do. But her thoughts were cut short when the Changeling Queen saw her. She turns around and starts to take off just as she's tackled by at least five guards. The guards tie her wings up and her hooves together before they begin dragging her on her back through the castle and down a long flight of stairs, each one hitting her back. By the end of the stairway, her back hurts badly and she can smell something disgusting and vile.

The Changelings drag her next through a large, stone-walled room with dungeon cells chiseled out. The Changelings shove her into a cell and lock the door before she could try fighting her way out. Then she feels the ropes around her hooves loosen. One of the Changelings had done it, letting her wiggle them free and stand up. She was still sore from the stairs and from being tackled by Changelings, but put all thoughts of the slight soreness out of her mind in favor of examining the room outside. It's filled with weapons. Cruel, sharp blades and clubs that Dash has no name for hang on walls and are spread out on low-lying tables. Why would she know of these things? Crime and things like it aren't common in Equestria, after all. In another cell, she can see the body of a blue mare with a dark mane. "P- Princess Luna?" She asks softly and the alicorn lifts her head lethargically.

"Rainbow Dash?" She asks softly, then smiles slightly, "We are glad to see you." The older mare's horn has been broken in half and where her wings should be are gaping holes in her back. Her wings have been ripped out of her back. Dried blood has matted down her fur for the most part and her eyes are glazed over in pain. But her eyes brighten slightly when they see the other pony.

"Are there any others?" Rainbow asks, discovering that her voice echoes throughout the room.

Luna shudders, "Our sister is there." The dark mare looks towards another cell, directing Rainbow's gaze to a limp, white body and pastel-colored mane with splotches of brownish-red blood covering large sections. Princess Celestia's horn had also been cut off and her wings had been ripped out, much like Luna's. "She hasn't moved in a long time. We think she might be dead."

"Why are they doing this?" Rainbow asks, not expecting an answer. How could anypony justify killing the ruler of Equestria? But still, Princess Luna does give her an answer.

"The Changelings feed off more than love." Luna tells the light blue pegasus. "It seems to be any strong emotion that they'll feed off of. They needed us dead before they could rule all of Equestria. We believe the Elements of Harmony, Royal Guard, and the princesses are their main goal. We have heard other ponies, but none of them have been brought into this room." Then, almost as if it were timed to punctuate the princess of night's statement, a loud, blood-curdling scream ripped through the room. Rainbow couldn't help but wonder which pony might have made that sound. It was quickly followed by maniac laughter. Her gaze snaps back to Lune, eyes wide, breathing heavily. The princess nods, "That's how it will be for us. We shall end as everypony else. They shall spare no mercy on us."

"H- How many . . ." Rainbow asks softly, unsure whether or not the princess would actually hear her or not.

"We are not sure," The princess responds. "We believe we've heard five different ones screaming, and then our sister. Cadence had been captured and murdered first, though. But she's gone now."

Seven other ponies that are probably dead. Rainbow takes a deep breath, but it doesn't help. Instead it only draws more of the scent of death into her nostrils. She still can't believe that any of this is possible. It couldn't be. Not in a place like Equestria, where Celestia had kept such horrors from occurring for over a thousand years. But now Celestia and Cadence are dead, leaving only one princess alive, and even she seems to be close to death. Suddenly, it all feels hopeless to Rainbow, but she won't stop looking for a way out. Rainbow watches the heavy metal doors that lead into the stone chamber, waiting for a Changeling to enter.

The Changeling comes in sooner than she expected, but it didn't bring with it a way out, instead, it brought something else.


End file.
